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Your boss.
That sanctimonious Mom at your kids' preschool.
The neighbor who alternates between grinning at you and complaining incessantly about your leafblower.
Facebook friends all, but true friends any?
As my first book, "The Friendship Fix" (due out today!) discusses, there's no doubt that in just a few short years' time, social networking-- and technology in general-- have revolutionized the way we connect with each other. And no matter where you are on the spectrum, from gadget-obsessed to living completely off the grid, you are affected by these alterations in interaction (finding your voting precinct online, anyone?).
Arguably, even the meanings of the words we use-- from "friend" to "like" (which is now something routinely done on Facebook to startling news, no matter how tragic) are changing right along with our behaviors. Surely, there are no easy answers, no clear predictions of where we're headed. And yes, changes in vocabulary (what happened to "Thar" and "Ye"?) and technology (the telephone was once viewed with the same fearful scorn that Facebook often is now) have always been in motion, but they're arguably occurring at a quicker pace than ever before. The question becomes, what part of our humanity-- our emotions, our beliefs, our dreams, our fears, and most of all, our relationships--changes with it?
This blog seeks to explore this new terrain. From whether you're really "broken up" if you and your ex are constantly still texting each other, to how today's children will ever start new chapters of their identities given the online audience that follows them everywhere they go, "Friendship 2.0" will seek to ask the difficult-- and sometimes bizarre-- questions.
And where else to do it but online? (Sorry, off-the-grid folks.)
